Taco Tuesday: Navajo Tacos For Two
What’s a Navajo taco? It’s a work of art, if you’re game.
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In the late 1990’s and into the years beyond 2000, I wrote a popular homeschooling blog that had thousands of readers.
Our blog was called Traveling With The Kid. No longer online.
I began writing it in 1999 and the last post was in 2009, just before “The Kid” went to college.
I often refer to my student as “The Kid” when I write about traveling.
When we were living in Utah, we traveled around the state and surrounding states quite a bit.
There’s lots to see in Utah.
All of the photos above are similar to photos The Kid and I took during our trips to these places, but those photos are now stored away in albums and on film negatives. Thanks to Unsplash, a free photo repository, I was able to find what I wanted to show you.
Beautiful, isn’t it?
One of the subjects we both were interested in was the Navajo Nation, which spanned three states in the Southwest.
The Kid was interested in the Navajo Code Talkers, I was interested in Navajo History and Art.
While I could write many words about Navajo History and Art, I’ll cover for now, the one Art I fell in love with, Navajo weaving.
In the mid- to late-seventeenth century, the Navajo learned weaving from the Pueblo in New Mexico about the same time they acquired horses and churro sheep from Spanish settlers. They integrated all three, using horses for herding sheep, using the sheep for textile fiber, and as food and trade.
While many Navajo weavings are colorful, rare and beautiful, I prefer the Art of the Saddle blanket.
My Navajo saddle blanket is a very typical style (a Red Star Dazzler 36”x 46”) with traditional colors.
What’s a saddle blanket?
A heavier, thicker wool weaving that is placed between the saddle and the horse as a nice cushion for the horse.
It’s practical and beautiful.
A blanket can take a weaver up to a year to make and that does not include the amount of time it took to raise the sheep for the wool.
Navajo blankets are valuable today for three reasons: scarcity, rarity and artistry. Each piece is unique. I acquired mine through the Adopt a Native Elder annual rug auction.
Adopt-A-Native-Program does a rug show annually, and they used to host a rug auction which is where I was able to acquire my saddle blanket.
What I paid, cash, went entirely to the artist.
What is Adopt a Native Elder?
Adopt-A-Native-Elder serves to help reduce extreme poverty and hardship facing traditional Elders living on the Navajo Reservation. We are a trusted humanitarian organization focused on delivering food, medical supplies, firewood and other forms of Elder support.
The Kid and I regularly volunteered to pack boxes for the two semi-annual food runs (spring and fall).
Now in doing all the traveling we did across the four states in that area, we were treated to many delightful foods made by Navajo hosts.
One of the best things we had was the Navajo taco.
What’s a Navajo taco?
It’s a work of art, if you’re game.
It’s fry bread with taco goodies on top.
What’s fry bread?
This is where we get into some of the dark history of Southwest Native Americans.
In short, frybread is the story of survival.
Navajo frybread originated about 144 years ago, when the United States government forced Indians living in Arizona to make the 300-mile journey known as the "Long Walk". They were relocated to the New Mexico region onto land where they couldn’t grow traditional staples like vegetables and beans. To prevent them from starving, the government gave them canned goods as well as white flour, processed sugar and lard, everything you need to make frybread.
Frybread is a common staple among many Native groups, but frybread is only the base for a Navajo taco.
In fact, it should be the second most important invention in Navajo history, ranked slightly below the creation of the Navajo Times in 1959 by Dillon Platero and John McPhee. The first Navajo taco was created by Lou Shepard, who worked for the tribe in the 1960s as manager of the Navajo Lodge, a tribally owned motel and restaurant located across the street from what is now the Navajo Education Center. Navajo Times
I understand from talking to different Navajo ladies there are many different ways families make this, and it is often a subject of fierce debate.
Mine is simple and effective.
When you find a recipe for frybread, it will be enough to feed many, many people. I have successfully gotten it down to two frybreads, which is all two people need.
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup hot water
Oil for deep-fat frying
In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; stir in hot water to form a soft dough.
Cover and let stand for 30 minutes.
Divide dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion into a 6-in. circle.
In a cast iron pan, heat 1 inch of oil to 375°.
Fry the bread in hot oil for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown; drain on paper towels. It’s going to puff up quite a bit if you made it right. Pop any real big bubbles with a fork or the bread doesn’t get done and stays “doughy”. It should be a little crunchy on the outside and a nice soft bread consistency on the inside.
It’s the perfect landing spot for beautiful toppings: Seasoned taco meat, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, chopped tomatoes, black olives, beans, sliced jalapeno pepper, avocado, shredded lettuce. Any or all.
My favorite is on the green plate: Seasoned taco meat, red onions, shredded pepper jack cheese, Mexican table cream, black olives, pickled jalapeno pepper, avocado, shredded lettuce.
More:
I have heard of fry bread, but never the painful origin story. The tacos look delicious and the landscape photos are breathtaking. I have never been to Utah. How wonderful that you have a photo of the artist who wove your handsome Navaho blanket.